Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of Suicide Rates in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1979-1998

This study investigated suicide trends, 1979-1998, in Rio de Janiero State with emphasis on age, period, & cohort effects. Poisson regression & graphical methods were used to evaluate these effects. Suicide rates increased steadily with age, particularly among males. In both males & females, age-adjusted rates decreased until 1992 & started to increase in 1993. Cohort effects showed that younger generations had significantly lower rates of suicide than older ones. The recent rise in rates might be a result of increasing levels of firearm availability, drug use, & unemployment. Follow-up over longer periods & powerful epidemiological studies are needed to sustain the implication of socioeconomic changes in the observed features. (26 refs.) JA